Ever Since
by AkaneKazuyagi
Summary: Haruno Sakura moved to Suna as a young girl. Within her first day she met Gaara. The two grow extremely close, but Gaara, believing Sakura was murdered by Yashamaru, lives only to kill. Now it's the Chuunin exams and Sakura and Gaara are reunited. GaaSaku
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! I've started a new fic~(as you can see X3) This is a GaaSaku fic. The plot is from when Sakura (and the other characters) were little up until just after the Chuunin exams. As you can see from my stories that I'm not a fan of Shippuuden lol. Anyway, on with chapter one slash prologue!

A young girl that looked about the age of eight with short, cotton candy pink hair walked from room to room of her new home in Suna. She had lived in Konohagakure ever since she was born so she felt put off and upset about leaving her beloved village.

The girl trudged down the hall and came to a stop in an open doorway, a pout clearly evident on her pale face. The girl's parents were in said room unpacking various belongings out of some boxes.

"Mommy, Daddy why do we have to live here?" She demanded in a whine.

Her father sighed and picked her up. "Sakura, we told you already. We have to live here because of some business the Hokage gave you mother and I."

The girl, now known as Sakura, put on a deeper pout. "I want to go back to Konoha."

Her mother approached her and laid a hand on her head. "You will get to love it here, Sakura." She reassured.

Sakura hmph'd and crossed her arms over her chest in an angry fashion.

"How about you take your stuff to your new room and unpack, then you can explore the neighbourhood and meet some new friends." Her father told her as he set her on the ground.

"Fine." Sakura mumbled grumpily as she pulled a rather large box off a stack of other boxes. Most would not believe such a small girl would have such strength, but Sakura was much stronger than most people would think.

Sakura carried the box up the stairs with a sad expression on her face. She walked down the hall to a door at the end. She pushed the door open revealing an empty room, save a large white bed. The room had light purple walls with white trimming. Sakura placed the box on the white bed and cut through the tape with a chakra spike. The flaps fell open and revealed dozens of items.

She first pulled out a picture of Neji, Kiba, Hinata and herself. She walked over to the medium sized window across from her and stood it up on the sill.

She then pulled out various clothes, accessories and shoes. She organized them neatly in the small closet offered to her.

She took out a small storage scroll and dumped its contents onto the bed. Dozens of books and scrolls crashed onto the bed. She proceeded to stack the books into neat piles, laying them next to her bed along with the scrolls.

Lastly she pulled out a small box that appeared to contain an art set and a small snowy owl plushie along with a stuffed penguin. Sakura laid the toys on her bed and placed the art kit next to the picture on the window sill.

Sakura tugged on her clothing quietly observing it. She decided it would be best if she changed. She walked up to her newly filled closet and rummaged through its contents for a new outfit. She pulled out a red kimono top with billowing elbow length sleeves, completed with a deep crimson obi. She then pulled out tight black knee length shorts and black ninja shoes. Lastly she pulled out some wrist length black leather fingerless gloves.

Once she had finished getting ready she grabbed the empty box and headed for the stairs. She lightly stepped into the room her parents were in and placed the empty box on the floor.

"I think I'm going to go look around the village." She said quietly.

"Good girl. Be careful." Her mother said sweetly.

"Have fun." Her father added.

Sakura sighed and sulkily walked out of the room and headed to the front door. She stepped out into the blaring sun and covered her eyes with her hand. She looked down both ends of the street, silently contemplating which way to go. She decided to head right towards the downtown area she and her parents had passed through earlier that day.

She walked silently down the roads, giving a slight nod and a small smile at the people who acknowledged her. She had come to a small market district that was crowded with dozens of Suna citizens. She squeezed through the crowd and proceeded to browse the various items the vendors put on display. Sakura felt a need to purchase something so she pulled out a small Lucky Star wallet out of her pocket. She fingered the money inside.

'_200 ryo.'_ She thought. _'My life savings...'_

She put the wallet back in its place and continued on deeper into the district. Along her way she had observed gorgeous clothes and jewellery, weapons and various food items. She was about to leave when she went past a small pet store. She stopped in her tracks and backed up until she was peering into the pale purple eyes of the most adorable baby silver fox that was sitting inside a small pen. She squealed with delight and laid a hand on its head. She searched for a price tag and found a small sticker on the wood of the pen.

She eyed it wearily. _'185 ryo.'_ She mulled. _'Maybe. I'll come back later.'_ She thought as she gave the fox a final pat and continued out of the district.

She had walked aimlessly through the somewhat empty alleyways and roads for what seemed like forever. She was approaching a nearby park when suddenly a ball zoomed by her face and came to rest on the ground beside her.

"Sorry about that!" A girl that looked about Sakura's age called.

"It's okay." She replied as the girl walked up to her.

Sakura picked up the ball and handed over to the girl.

"Thanks." She said with a smile. "What's your name? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"I'm Haruno Sakura." She said. "I just moved here from Konohagakure." She explained as she shook the girl's hand.

"I'm Yuzuki. Want to play with us?" Yuzuki asked as she pointed to group of four other kids who were waiting for their game to resume.

"Sure." Sakura said while following Yuzuki to the group of kids.

"This is Mayu, Kaito, Tsuki and Hisoka." Yuzuki introduced, pointing each child out.

"Everyone, this is Sakura. She moved here from Konoha." Yuzuki said with a grin.

"Nice to meet you all." Sakura said with a small smile and a bow.

"Nice to meet you Sakura-chan." They all greeted with a smile.

Hisoka walked up to Sakura and took a strand of her hair in his fingers. "Is that natural?" He asked in an almost stoic tone.

Sakura internally rolled her eyes. "Yes, it is."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Mayu and Tsuki said in unison.

"Let's play everyone." Kaito said as he drop kicked the ball, the children running after it.

-ﬄﬄ-

About an hour later the group had stopped playing and were currently resting in the cool shade of a nearby building.

"That was so much fun!" Sakura said with a grin. "That was the first time I've ever played soccer."

"It is, isn't it?" Kaito agreed.

"Mayu and I have to leave now." Tsuki said disappointedly as they stood up to leave. During their game Sakura had learned Tsuki and Mayu were fraternal twins.

"I have to leave too." Hisoka explained as he too ran off.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, Yuzuki and I have to leave as well." Kaito said.

"It's alright." Sakura reassured.

"Bye!" Yuzuki called as the siblings ran off.

"Bye." Sakura called after them.

Sakura noticed that it was getting later so she stood up and continued her tour of the town.

She walked around the corner and a saw a small park with a boy with blood red hair sitting on a bench. For some reason it hurt her heart looking at the boy, he looked so sad and lonely.

'_Let's go cheer him up!'_ Sakura cheered internally.

There you go! How do you like it so far? I know it's hard to tell because it's a prologue lol. Watch out for the next chapter. R&R~

Oh yes, I forgot. There will be no Naruto in this fic, you'll see why in later chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to chapter 2 of Ever Since! Not much to say so we're going to roll right into it!

-X-

Sakura quietly walked along the path into the park. She approached the boy sitting on the bench.

"Hi there!" Sakura chirped with a grin.

The boy looked startled as he looked up at her with sad eyes. "H-hi..." He replied in a small voice.

"What'cha doing?" She asked as she noticed he relaxed the slightest bit.

"Nothing." He said quietly.

"Want to play?" She chirped.

He looked shocked. "Y-you want to play with me?" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course!" She said happily, taking his hand in hers she pulled him over to the swings.

He stood there dumbly with a shocked, yet hopeful expression. "You're not afraid of me?"

Sakura gave him a questioning look. "Why would I be?"

"Because I'm a monster." He said sadly, averting his gaze to the side.

Sakura hopped up and stared intently at him. "Hmmm, you don't look like a monster to me!" She said with a smile.

His eyes lit up at her words. "Really?"

"Yup." She confirmed as she patted the swing next to her.

He smiled inhumanly wide as he hopped on the swing next to her. She in turn smiled back at him.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"I'm Sakura." She said happily. "It's nice to meet you...uh..."

"Gaara."

"Oh. It's nice to meet you Gaara-kun." She said with a grin.

He smiled back. "You too Sakura-chan."

"Hey, I have a great idea Gaara-kun."

"What is it?"

"Let's be best friends!"

"Friends?" He tried in a hopeful tone.

She nodded. "Do you want to?"

"Yeah!" He said happily.

Sakura grinned as they shared information, telling each other about themselves as they swung together in the evening glow.

They were happily talking and playing together for a couple of hours when...

"Sakura!" Sakura heard a male voice call.

Said girl looked over her shoulder. "Oto-san? Oka-san?" She questioned as her parents walked up to her with a mildly angry expression.

"Do you realize how late it is young lady?" Her mother scolded.

"Sorry." Sakura said. "But I was having so much fun with Gaara-kun!" She continued happily.

Her parents looked over at the young boy and gave him a discreet glare.

"Come on Sakura, it's time to go home." Her father said.

"Awww, okay." Sakura pouted. She turned to face Gaara. "Come back here tomorrow so we can play some more." She told him, pulling him into a hug.

Her father pulled her away as they walked out of the park.

Gaara sat in shock as she was taken away. _'Why didn't my barrier go up?'_ He questioned internally.

Nonetheless Gaara ran home with a huge grin on his face. He burst through the doors of his home. He ran from room to room looking for his beloved Uncle Yashamaru. He found him sitting in the living room.

"Yashamaru, Yashamaru! Guess what?" He asked happily and out of breath.

Yashamaru looked up from his scroll with a questioning look. "What happened?"

"I made a friend!" He said excitedly. "Her name is Sakura and she's really nice!"

Yashamaru was shocked as well. Nonetheless he patted Gaara's head. "That's wonderful, Gaara."

Gaara nodded happily and ran up to his room earning some strange looks from Temari and Kankuro.

"What's up with him?" Kankuro asked while Yashamaru walked up to him.

"Some girl befriended him."

Temari let out a small gasp. "But who would? Everyone in the village is afraid of him."

"It's the daughter of the family that just moved here."

"That explains it." Kankuro said. "Should we warn her?"

"I don't think so. Let's see how this plays out on its own." Yashamaru stated as he walked out the door, presumably heading for the hospital.

Kankuro and Temari exchanged concerned glances but then went their separate ways.

Up in his room Gaara laid on his bed with a smile on his lips. His eyes started to tear with joy as thoughts of Sakura passed through his mind.

"I can't wait for tomorrow." He said happily.

-±- With Sakura -±-

Sakura had just finished her bath and was preparing for bed. She had slipped on some red silk pyjamas and had crawled into bed. She turned onto her side and stared at the moon. She giggled girlishly to herself.

'_**He was cute, wasn't he?'**_ Inner squealed.

'_Yeah he was.' _Sakura agreed. _'Definitely not a monster.'_ She thought as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep full off her best friend.

Sakura's parents stood in the kitchen together, worry clearly evident in the atmosphere.

"What are we going to do?" Her mother asked. "She made friends with that demon."

Her father sighed heartily. "I don't know, we might have to cut our mission short. I can't allow anything to happen to Sakura."

"I think that's the best idea." Her mother agreed as they too headed off to bed,

Sakura woke up at 8:30 the next morning. She yawned and stretched while warm sunlight poured in through the window, filling her room. She walked over to her closet and pulled out an emerald green dress that were the same colour as her eyes. It was knee length and had a short v- neck style neck line. It was sleevless and split up the sides of her thighs, revealing tight knee length black shorts underneath.(Generally just like pre-shippuden outfit.) She took the brush off her bed and glided it through her short pink locks, making them nice and smooth.

She found that she was well prepared for the day so she ran down the stairs, the kitchen her current destination. She looked around the room, finding it empty.

"Where is everyone?" She mumbled to herself. She put it aside and slipped two pieces of bread into the toaster. She watched the toaster carefully as if she were a predator and the toast was her prey. She jumped and grabbed the toast while it was in mid air, just like a cat catching a butterfly. She giggled to herself as she nom'd the toast down to crumbs.

She looked around the corner of the doorway, but her parents were still not awake. "Should I wake them up?" She asked herself quietly.

She shrugged it off and grabbed a glass of water. After downing that she fetched a piece of paper and pen to write her parents a note.

'_Went to go play. I already had breakfast._

_Love Sakura'_

She laid the note on the table and headed out the door. Since she was not yet familiar with the village yet, she took the same route she had taken the day before. She glided and pushed herself through the busy market district. She was coming up to the pet store and she saw the fox was still there. It tugged at her heart but she pressed forward and headed for the park.

She went around the corner of the alleyway that She, Kaito, Yuzuki, Tsuki, Mayu and Hisoka played in. She followed the short path into the park. She stood in the center of iit and looked around, but no one was in sight.

"Maybe I'm early." Sakura said quietly as she took a seat on the swing.

She rocked back and forth for a few minutes before she heard some rustling in the bushes behind her. Her guard went up the slightest bit. Out of the bushes tumbled Gaara with bruises on his face and arms and a nasty gash on his cheek.

"Gaara-kun!" Sakura called worriedly as she ran up to him. "What happened?"

"It's nothing." He mumbled softly.

"It's definitely something." Sakura half scolded. Mint green chakra begun to swirl around Sakura's hands. She lifted her hand to Gaara's face, and gently touching the gash she begun to heal it.

"You're a medic?" Gaara asked in awe.

"Yup. Tsunade-sama has been teaching me medical nin-jutsu since I was six." She said with a confident grin.

"At such a young age, that's impressive."

"Thanks." She said with a smile as she placed her finger tips on the bruises that adorned his pale cheek.

'_Her chakra feels so nice.'_ Gaara thought blissfully.

'_**I don't get why that girl can get near us and the sand barrier wont activate.'**_ Shukaku said, deep in thought.

'_It doesn't matter, she wants to be my friend.'_

Gaara was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Sakura's soft voice.

"All healed." She said with a smile as she took out a cloth out of her pocket and wiped the blood off his cheek.

"Thanks Sakura-chan." He said quietly.

"No problem, I don't want you to be hurt Panda-chan." She claimed and patted his head.

"Panda-chan?"

"Yep. You look like one, so it'll be your nick name." She said teasingly. "It's cute, isn't it?"

Gaara smiled. "You can call me anything you want Sakura-chan."

"It's really hot, let's get some ice cream." Sakura suggested as she took him by the hand and led him out of the park.

'_S-she's holding my hand.'_ Gaara said to himself, a small blush appearing on his face.

They walked along the streets together as people glared at Gaara and gave Sakura strange looks for being hand in hand with a demon. Sakura just ignored them but Gaara felt insecure.

'_Why are they glaring at Gaara-kun?'_ Sakura thought angrily.

'_**I don't know. Who could hate such an adorable creature?'**_ Inner chirped.

'_He is adorable, but you need some help with your fangirl-ness.'_

'_**Oh bah.'**_

"There's some!" Sakura said aloud as she jogged up to the stand. The man smiled at Sakura but glared at Gaara.

"What flavour do you want Panda-chan?" Sakura asked.

"You don't have to Sakura-chan."

"Don't be silly, it's my treat." She persisted.

After a few moments of uncertainty he gave in and sighed. "Strawberry then."

"Good boy." She said with a smile.

"One strawberry and one chocolate please." She asked the man politely.

He gave the pair a weary look but placed their orders and after a few moments, handed over the creamy treats.

"That will be 10 ryo, young lady." The man said with a small smile.

She handed the man the money and then handed Gaara his ice cream. "Let's window shop." Sakura chirped as she ferociously licked her ice cream.

'_She's still holding my hand...'_ He thought in slight disbelief. '_Maybe she really does want to be my friend.'_

They walked around the market district for a while laughing, talking and browsing the various items. Gaara was surprised that he actually laughed, a lot at that. It was getting to be afternoon when, while shopping, a rock sailed through the air and grazed Sakura but hit Sakura in the face.

"Gaara-kun, are you alright?" Sakura asked worriedly and glared up at the culprit.

"Sakura-chan, get away from him!" She heard Kaito call.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Mayu asked.

"Did he hurt you?" Tsuki asked.

"What do you think you're doing, you monster?" Hisoka growled.

Sakura snapped and punched Hisoka in the jaw with a chakra laced fist, sending him flying across the street, crashing into a nearby stand.

"Hisoka!" She heard Yuzuki call.

"Don't ever call Gaara-kun a monster!" Sakura growled dangerously. "He didn't do anything bad!"

"Sakura-chan it's okay..." Gaara said softly.

"No it's not!" Sakura half yelled. 'You're not a monster, they have no right to do these things to you!"

"Sakura-chan..."

'_She's standing up for me...'_ Gaara thought happily. He felt like he wanted to cry with joy.

"Gaara!" Sakura heard a female voice call. She turned to see another girl with sandy blonde hair and a boy with brown hair running up to them.

"What did you do Gaara?" The boy with the brown hair asked, pointing to Hisoka who stumbled over, blood running down his chin.

"Temari, Kankuro..." Gaara said quietly.

"It was me, not Gaara-kun." Sakura said sternly, facing Kankuro.

He looked over to Sakura with wide eyes. There was such a strong, menacing aura around the girl. _'That girl has such strength...'_

"You don't have to stand up for Gaara." Temari said in a harsh voice.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she let out a low growl. "Why can't anyone see that Gaara-kun isn't bad?" She said, her voice now a lot deeper and more menacing. "You have no right."

"If you don't leave him alone I assure you that you will end up the same way he did." Sakura warned. "I won't stand for it." She continued as images of Naruto flashed before her eyes.

Gaara blinked. _'She has such a menacing aura...'_ Gaara breathed internally.

'_**She's not normal.'**_ Shukaku said.

'_What do you mean?'_

'_**She's not the same person as before, her chakra is different. It's stronger and evil.'**_

Gaara observed the fuming Sakura and did notice she even looked different. Her eyes were dark purple with hints of black in them and her hair was a lot lighter.

"Sakura-chan..." Gaara said softly as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head, her eyes returning to their normal green and her hair darkening up. She turned to Hisoka and bowed.

"I'm sorry I hit you Hisoka-kun, I just snapped." She said softly.

Hisoka just nodded dumbly, he was still shocked at the immense strength Sakura had.

"It's just that, I had a friend back in Konoha that was in the same predicament, and I can't stand to see someone else going through the same pain." She said, turning her head to face Gaara.

"But he had a demon inside of him."

Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances.

"Are you Haruno Sakura by any chance?" Temari asked.

Sakura gave a slight nod.

"I suppose you don't know."

"Don't know what?"

"That I have a demon inside me." Gaara finished for Kankuro.

Sakura blinked. "You do?"

"He's called Shukaku."

Sakura closed her eyes. "I'd recognize that name anywhere. One of the Bijuu."

"You know about them?" Temari questioned.

"Yes, while I was training with Tsunade-sama she taught me about the Bijuu because my friend was the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi." She explained. "You're a jinchuuriki too?"

Gaara nodded sadly.

Sakura hit Gaara lightly on the head with a stick she found on the ground. Gaara looked up at her with a questioning look. She wrapped her arms around Gaara and pulled him into a tight embrace. Gaara's eyes widened and everyone else gasped.

"I don't care that you're a jinchuuriki, you're no different than anyone else." She said sternly. "I still want to be your friend, jinchuuriki or not."

Gaara let a single tear slip down his cheek as he too wrapped his arms around Sakura, returning the embrace. Sakura smiled into his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." He whispered, pulling away from her with a smile.

Sakura smiled back and patted him on the head. "Now don't you feel better?"

He nodded and laughed lightly.

"Can we talk to you Sakura?" Temari called from a little ways away.

Sakura nodded and walked up to the two.

"Are you serious about wanting to be Gaara's friend?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes, I am." Sakura said sternly.

Suddenly Sakura was caught in Temari's embrace. "I've always wanted Gaara to have a friend." She said in a shaky voice, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Sakura blinked. "Do you know him or something?"

"He's out brother." Kankuro explained.

"He is?"

"Yeah, everyone has hated him since he was born including our family." Temari said while letting Sakura go. "Even though we're frightened of him, as his siblings we want him to be happy."

Sakura allowed tears to flow gently down her face. "That's terrible, he's been hated for that long?"

Temari and Kankuro nodded slightly. "Please take care of him." Temari asked with a small smile.

Sakura wiped away her tears and smiled up at the siblings. "I promise."

The two smiled down at the pinkette and left her to her business.

Sakura ran back to Gaara and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Ne Gaara, I have to get something, want to come with me?"

He nodded and smiled as Sakura took his hand and lead him towards the market district.

They pushed and pulled their way through the many villagers.

"What do you need Sakura-chan?"

"You'll see." Sakura said as they neared the pet shop.

One final push of the crowd and Gaara and Sakura toppled into a heap in front of the fox cage.

Sakura rubbed her side. "Ow."

Gaara held his hand out for Sakura to take. She smiled and took his hand, him pulling her up.

"You needed something at the pet shop?"

She nodded. "I needed this." Sakura said as she walked up to the cage with the silver fox laying in it.

The begun to pet the small fox. The fox smiled up at the two and licked Gaara's hand.

"It's really cute, are you going to buy him?"

Sakura nodded and pulled out her Lucky Star wallet. "Definitely." She chirped as she walked through the open door of the pet shop.

She walked up to the young girl at the counter.

"Hello, I'm Aria. What can I do for you today?" She asked with a sweet tone.

Sakura smiled at the girl. "I'd like that baby fox out front." She asked politely.

The girl nodded. "Got ya." She said as she walked out from behind the counter and ushered for Sakura to follow her.

Sakura followed Aria out front. Aria pulled a pin out of a hook and the wire door fell open, allowing the fox easy access out of the pen. Aria picked up the small fox and turned towards Sakura.

"He's 180 ryo, do you have that much?"

"Yep." Sakura chirped, handing over 180 ryo.

Aria smiled and took the money. She handed the fox over to Sakura, Sakura cuddled the fox like a baby, giggling at how cute it was.

Aria turned to go back into the store when Sakura called out to her. "Oh, Aria-san I think I need a collar for him."

Aria giggled. "Alright, come on."

Sakura followed Aria back into the store. She stopped and turned to Gaara. "Want to help me pick, Panda-chan?"

He nodded and followed her in. They walked up to a wall of various collars for various animals. They looked and looked and then Gaara spotted one near the top.

"What about that one?"

Sakura followed Gaara's gaze and saw the one he saw. She grinned "That's perfect!"

Her grinned dissipated when she noticed she was too short. "I can't reach it."

Gaara smiled. "I'll help you." He said as sand whirled around beneath Sakura's feet and created a stable platform to stand on. Sakura's eyes widened when she was lifted into the air and up to the collar of choice. She grabbed it from the hook it was on, and she was gently placed back on the ground.

Sakura looked over to Gaara. "Did you do that?"

Gaara all of sudden looked sullen. "Y-yeah..."

"Wow, that's so cool! You can manipulate sand?" Sakura chirped, placing her hands on Gaara's shoulders.

Gaara lit up. "You think so?"

She nodded. "I wish I could do that."

He smiled as she fiddled with the collar. It was dark purple that had a medium sized silver bell attached to it.

Sakura approached Aria with collar and placed it on the counter.

"Will that be all?" Aria asked sweetly.

"Yes."

"10 ryo, please."

Sakura smiled and handed over the last of her money to Aria.

Sakura set the fox on the counter and put the collar around its neck. "There you go, little fella." She cooed as she picked it up and walked back to Gaara.

"Let's go Panda-chan."

He nodded and took his spot next to her. The two left the store and walked down the empty streets of the village.

"What are you going to name him?"

Sakura pondered for a moment. "Hmmm...how about Hitoshi?"

Gaara nodded. "I like it."

"Ne, Gaara."

"What is it?"

"Want to come to my house?" Sakura asked, burying her face in Hitoshi's fur to conceal her blush.

Gaara had a small blush of his own. "I'd like that."

Sakura grinned. "Follow me." She said while running away.

Gaara smiled softly before running after her.

Gaara had caught up with her and was a few feet behind her. She giggled and called back to him. "Better catch up or I'll leave you behind~" She teased.

Gaara let out a small laugh of his own and picked up his pace.

Sakura returned her gaze to the road ahead of her, only to run straight into a person. She fell to the ground. She rubbed her head.

"I'm so sor-" She begun but then stopped. "Oka-san? Oto-san?"

Indeed, her parents were standing in front of her with disappointing looks in their eyes.

"Sakura-chan are you okay?" Gaara asked as he knelt beside her. He looked up to see her parents glaring down at him.

Sakura's father grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. "You're coming home right now." He said sternly, starting to pull her away.

"Hey, wait are you doing?" Sakura asked as she tried to struggle out of her father's grasp. "Let me go!"

"We're not letting you hang around a monster." Her mother said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "He's not a monster!" Sakura growled dangerously.

"He's just like that Naruto kid." Her father added.

Sakura's eyes turned a deep purple and her hair turned silver, a black energy swirling around her. "Don't call him a monster." She said quietly, but evilly.

"Sakura-chan...?" Gaara mumbled softly.

"Oh no" Her mother gasped.

Sakura's father pulled a seal out of his pocket and placed it on Sakura's chest. The seal glowed and engulfed Sakura in a soft light. Her hair returned to its normal pink and her eyes returned to its brilliant green. Sakura felt her vision blur, and she fell into a state of unconsciousness in her arms.

"P-Panda-chan..."' Sakura mumbled before going completely out of it.

"Stay away from her." Her father warned Gaara as he walked off with Sakura in her arms.

Gaara sat in the middle of the road, it felt like his heart was ripped in two.

"Sakura-chan..."

-X-

Aw, poor Gaara.

Anyway, tell me what you think. R&R please!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello all! How's everyone doing today? I believe I will put in a time skip either in the next chapter or chapter 5. Other than that please enjoy chapter 3!

**-ЖЖЖ-**

Gaara had gotten up early the next morning. He couldn't relax at all during the night, his mind was occupied with Sakura being taken away from him.

'_What was that energy?'_ He pondered. _'And why did she change?_' He continued, picturing the silver hair and the deep purple eyes.

'_**I told you she wasn't normal.'**_ Shukaku said.

'_But...what was it?'_

'_**I don't know, but she's an interesting specimen.'**_ Shukaku said with an amused smirk.

Gaara got a determined look in his eye. _'I'm going to go ask her.'_

Shukaku smirked while Gaara jumped off his bed and ran out his bedroom door. He ran down the stairs and out his front door. He turned down a street and ran towards where Sakura was taken from him the previous day. He thought that her house must be near by. He arrived at the spot a few minutes later. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on trying to pick up her chakra signature. He felt it faintly a few houses away. He ran to the house where he felt her signature, although it got a little stronger it was still faint.

'_I don't think it would be safe if I went to the front door.'_ He thought. _'I should try to find her bedroom window or something.'_

He did so. He walked made his way to the back of her house. He walked by a basement window when suddenly her chakra signature got stronger. He backed up and peered through the window. He gasped at what he saw. Sakura was chained by wrists to a stone wall. The wall itself had a huge pattern on it that was glowing an eerie green. There were seals on the chains as well as on the walls. Sakura was on her knees slumped over, head hanging low, hair covering her face.

"Sakura-chan!" Gaara called to her in a whisper.

Sakura slowly lifted her head and looked over to the window. Her eyes widened. "Gaara-kun, you have to get out of here, if my parents find you here who knows what they'll do!" Sakura pleaded in a strained voice.

Gaara shook his head. "I'm getting you out of here."

"But Gaa-"

"No buts" Gaara interrupted. "I'll get you out of there."

He conjured up his sand to snap the bars on the window. Once the bars were out of his way he dropped down into the room and ran up to Sakura. He reached out to grab the chains but a surge of electricity knocked him back.

"Gaara-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked worriedly.

He nodded as he sent his sand around the chains snapping them in half. Sakura massaged her sore wrists as Gaara knelt beside her.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura wrapped her arms around Gaara and pulled him into a tight embrace. She cried softly into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gaara-kun. My parents are the worst."

He wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace. "It's okay Sakura-chan..." He said softly. "Now let's get out of here."

Gaara pulled her to a stand, but Sakura stumbled a little bit.

"Do you have enough energy to walk?"

"I'm fine." Sakura reassured, but still stumbled slightly.

Gaara lifted her up bridal style as sand swirled beneath his feet, creating a stable platform for them to stand on. Gaara used the sand to lift themselves to the window. He allowed Sakura to crawl out first, he following moments after.

"Get on my back, Sakura-chan."

"But I can walk."

Gaara shook his head. "You're too weak, now get on."

Sakura complied and slide onto his back. Sakura wrapped her arms loosely, but securely around Gaara's neck, pressing herself closer to his body. Gaara blushed a bit as he walked off into the back alleys, avoiding being seen.

After a few minutes of sneaking around, Sakura spoke up. "Where are we going?" She asked quietly.

"I'm going to take you to my favourite spot at the Kazekage tower."

Sakura nodded and rested her cheek on Gaara's shoulder blades, a soft blush appearing on her face.

'_Inner, I feel so bad.'_ Sakura said sadly.

'_**Why?'**_

'_I'm endangering Gaara-kun.'_

Inner gave a small frown. _**'I know, but you need to control yourself better.'**_

'_I almost let you out.'_

Inner nodded. _**'That would've been a disaster.'**_

"We're here." Gaara said softly, snapping Sakura out of her inner turmoil.

Sakura looked about and saw that they were on a balcony overlooking the deserts of Suna. Sakura smiled in awe and admired the splendid view.

"This is amazing Gaara-kun." Sakura breathed.

He smiled softly at her as he set her down on a small bench, he taking a place next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Gaara got enough courage to ask what was going through his mind.

"Sakura-chan?"

"What is it?" Sakura as softly, but sweetly.

Gaara looked uncertain. "What was that yesterday, and what was the deal with you in the basement just now?"

Sakura averted her gaze to the ground beneath her, a frown forming on her lips. "What you saw yesterday was my inner self, a being of pure evil and maliciousness. I've had her sealed away ever since I was born, but when I get too out of control is when she starts to take over my body, resulting in the visualization of my inner and true self."

Gaara nodded. "Was that...scene...in the basement a way to control your inner self?"

Sakura nodded. "The seals were designed to completely drain me of my energy so my parents could repress Inner."

"Were the chains necessary?"

"Inner is aggressive when I'm in danger, or when she's angry, like she was yesterday."

Gaara nodded slowly. "Do you have any control over her?"

"Yes, but yesterday she and I were so angry I couldn't control her power."

Sakura closed her eyes and grabbed onto her head.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Gaara asked worriedly.

Sakura shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm just a little fatigued."

"You should rest." Gaara said softly.

Sakura blushed and pushed her index fingers together. "D-Do you mind if I lay my head in your lap?" Sakura asked softly, looking away.

Gaara too blushed. "Y-Yeah, that's f-fine." He said as Sakura gently laid her head in his lap.

Sakura smiled softly as she fell into a deep sleep, her blush still staining her porcelain cheeks.

Gaara's blushed increased as he listened to her soft breathing.

'_S-She's so cute...'_ He said to himself.

'_**She sure is a strange thing.' **_Shukaku pointed out.

Gaara gently laid his hand on Sakura's head, gently stroking her soft hair. He looked at her sleeping features with kind eyes. '_She's just like me.'_

'_**How do you figure?' **_

'_She has a strong, uncontrollable being inside of her. Like I have you, Shukaku.'_

Shukaku smirked. _**'I suppose you're right, kid.'**_

Gaara smiled to himself. _'I wonder if she talks to Inner like I talk to you.'_

'_**I wouldn't doubt it.'**_

**-Flashback-**

Sakura was in a deep sleep, her head was pounding and her whole body felt like it was on fire. She began to come to. She slowly opened her eyes a few minutes later. She saw that she was lying on a table, her parents were on the opposite side of the room painting the main glowing seal on the wall. Sakura felt that she was still hopping between herself and Inner. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she let out a low growl.

"How dare you be so cruel to Gaara-kun." She said dangerously, sliding off the table.

Her parents whipped around to see a black energy swirling around the young girl. Her hair had grown to her knees and now was a ghostly silver, her eyes were dark purple, her body matured, and there was a pair of small fangs in her mouth.

"Sakura!" Her mother gasped in worry.

Her father closed his eyes and sighed. He blurred out of sight and appeared next to Sakura. He pulled her arms behind her back and bound her wrists together with a seal. Sakura struggled as her strength slowly started to melt away.

Her parents hurried to finish the seal, completing it minutes later. They dragged Sakura over to the wall and ripped the seal from her hands, only to put them in the shackles of the chains. Sakura let out a small cry of pain as her chakra and energy were drained from her body.

Her parents looked at her with pain in their eyes, they hated doing such things to their daughter. Sakura looked up at them with anger.

"We no longer allow you to see that...that monster." Her mother said with a tone ofdisgust.

Sakura's eyes widened. "We are also leaving this village, even if it means we fail Tsunade-sama." Her father said as both her parents turned from the poor girl, leaving her to her misery.

Sakura let small tears fall from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Gaara-kun." She sobbed.

**-End Flashback-**

Gaara sat admiring Sakura sleeping for most of the day. It surprised him how much she slept.

'_That must have really drained her of all her energy...' _

Sakura began to stir. Gaara looked down at her while her eyes fluttered open, revealing the two emerald green eyes he became so attached to.

She sat up and sleepily rubbed her eye. She looked around to see the sun setting. "I'm sorry I slept on you for so long." Sakura said with genuine sincerity.

Gaara smiled. "I don't mind."

'_If only you knew.'_ He finished in his head.

Sakura grabbed his hand and grinned at him. "Let's watch the sunset together."

He nodded and allowed Sakura to lead him over to the rail over looking the lonely deserts of Suna. They both sat on the railing facing away from the tower, Sakura still having her hand in his.

They sat in silence for a while before Gaara noticed silent tears running down Sakura's face.

"What's the matter Sakura-chan?" Gaara asked with worry, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

She smiled sadly at him. "My parents are making me move back to Konoha so I can't be with you anymore."

Gaara's heart sunk. His only friend was being taken away from him forever. Nonetheless he put on a smile for her. He pat her head and gently wiped the tears from her eyes. "No need to cry, we'll always remember each other right?"

A few more tears fell as Sakura pulled Gaara into a tight embrace. They sat holding each other for a few minutes before Sakura pulled away, only to place a small kiss on Gaara's cheek. She smiled at him blushing. She turned her head to look up at the sky.

"You know, my parents acted the same way with my friend." She said softly.

"The one with Kyuubi?"

She nodded. "His name was Uzumaki Naruto." She said with a sad smile. "He was outcast by our village, our families telling us not to associate ourselves with him because he was dangerous. However one day I was coming back from training and saw him sitting alone looking pretty sad."

Gaara nodded as she continued. "I walked over to him to see if I could cheer him up. He looked so shocked that I was even acknowledging him, which hurt my heart a lot. So I begun talking to him and I found that he was actually really nice."

"We begun to hang out everyday, despite all the ridicule both he and I received. Eventually someone told my parents that I had befriended him, and they denied me any chance to see him. But I did sneak out all the time to see him. We were really great friends."

Gaara tried to pick his words wisely, not sure if he should ask his question or not. "What...What happened to Naruto?"

Sakura became sullen. "One day a group of villagers surrounded him and yelled at him for becoming close with a normal person. What they did to this day makes me so furious I can't stand it."

"What happened?" Gaara asked carefully.

Sakura averted her gaze to the swirling sand so far away. "They beat him to within an inch of his life. Then they left him to die all by himself. A sensei of his found him shortly after and brought him to the hospital, but it was no use, he couldn't be saved." She said quietly, fighting back tears.

"But, he said that he could die happy because he had finally had a friend." She continued, allowing a few tears to slip from her eyes.

Gaara looked sadly at Sakura. He pulled her into his arms, not saying a word. Sakura softly cried into his shoulder, embarrassed for being so childish.

"I just don't want the same thing to happen to you..." She said, tightening her hold on Gaara.

Gaara smiled to himself. "Don't worry about me, Sakura-chan. My sand protects me whenever I'm in danger." He assured her.

Sakura looked up at him and gave a small smile of her own. She wiped her tears away. "I feel so silly for crying like that." She said, laughing lightly.

"Keeping your emotions bottled up is unhealthy." He replied with a grin.

Sakura laughed and leaned her body against Gaara, laying her head on his shoulder as the two silently watched the sun set, darkness soon following.

Every once in a while Gaara would look down at her smiling face and feel his face get hot, and his heart race. _'What is this feeling...?' _He pondered to himself.

'_**You love the girl.'**_ Shukaku stated.

'_Love? So that's what love feels like?'_ He thought with a small smile.

Suddenly his sand barrier went up, startling Sakura and himself. He looked behind him to see a shinobi with a mask on had thrown a few kunai at him.

Sakura jumped from the railing and stood defensively in front of Gaara. Gaara jumped down next to her, preparing for a battle.

"Leave Gaara-kun alone!" Sakura yelled with as much fierceness as she could muster, running towards the shinobi with a chakra laced fist.

All of a sudden in a blur, a kunai zoomed its way through the air and had pierced through Sakura's chest, right over her heart. Sakura's eyes widened at the searing pain and the strong metallic taste that filled her mouth. Sakura's shirt was soaked in blood as she started to collapse, but before she hit the ground the shinboi through her aside, her limp body going over the edge of the Kazekage tower.

Gaara froze. He couldn't believe what just happened. He tried to move but his body didn't obey. "S-Sakura-chan..."

Tears started to cascade down his face. He ran over to the edge of railing and looked over to see Sakura's body on the ground in a pool of blood. Gaara felt sick to his stomach as he attempted to hop over the railing to save her, but he was pulled back by the shinobi.

Gaara felt a rage overtake him. "How dare you do that to Sakura-chan!" He growled. The eyes of the shinobi seemed to taunt the enraged Gaara.

Gaara conjured up his sand to wrap around the shinobi, lifting him into the air. He watched the shinobi struggle, and with a squeeze of his hand the sand constricted the shinobi like a boa constricting its prey. Gaara released the shinobi and allowed him to hit the ground in a bloody mess. Gaara approached him with caution and a bit of fear. He knelt beside the shinobi and carefully reached out for the mask. He tore it away only to find the only other person who cared for him.

Gaara's eyes shrunk as his heart felt like someone had ripped it out and trampled it into nothing but a mess. His eyes filled with tears as the face of his beloved uncle smirking back at him.

"You definitely are strong." Yashamaru said in a strained voice.

Gaara screamed. He'd had enough. He broke down and sobbed heavily. _'Why only me? Why do I end up hurting anyone I've ever cared for?'_ He sobbed to himself.

"Why would you do such a thing, Yashamaru?" Gaara asked.

"I was ordered to kill you by your father, Kazekage-sama." Yashamaru replied softly.

Gaara felt like he had to throw up. He clutched at his chest, hoping to make the pain go away.

"You see, you were only a test subject to see the power of the Shukaku." Yashamaru stated. "However you couldn't control its power so your existence was deemed dangerous to the village."

"B-but, you were ordered to kill me so you had no choice, right?" Gaara asked in a hopeful tone.

Yashamaru got a hard look in his eye. "Not exactly." He said softly. "It's true it was an order, but I had the choice of whether or not to do it."

Gaara's eyes widened, as more tears fell.

"I tried to love you, Gaara for the sake of my sister but I couldn't. You took the life of my sister, and for that I have always hated you."

Gaara couldn't breathe; the pain in his chest was too much to bear.

"My sister never loved you; she was only a sacrifice to this village. You were given Shukaku's powers to help carry out her hatred and revenge. She wanted you to love only yourself, fight for only yourself." He said softly as Gaara sat there crying, though he felt no remorse. "You were never loved."

Yashamaru then unzipped his vest, revealing his torso was covered with explosive notes. "Please die." He said as the notes were set off, an explosion engulfing with rooftop of the Kazekage tower. Yashamaru was blown into oblivion.

Gaara sat there quietly in the barrier of his sand, his knees pulled up to his chest. Memories of Yashamaru and himself kept playing over in his mind. _'Love? What lies.'_ He said to himself.

Gaara let out a pain filled scream as sand swirled around him like a tornado. He covered his face with his hands, a new persona over taking him. It was one full of hatred and coldness. He removed his hands to reveal a mark on his forehead, blood running down from it. It was the kanji symbol for love. He stood up, a dark look in his eyes.

'_Very well then.'_ He said dangerously.

'_I will only love myself, I will only live for myself and I will only fight for myself.'_

**-ѢѢѢ-**

Sakura lay down on the ground so far from her beloved friend. She could hardly breathe. Tears streamed from her eyes as she silently pleaded for help. Her vision started to darken when she heard rapid running coming from a distance. She slowly and shakily turned her head to see a blurry image of her parents running towards her, bags in hand. She turned to face her other side to see Hitoshi sitting worriedly by her side. She looked up to the sky and pleaded for her parents to save her.

"Sakura!" Her mother sobbed as she slid on the sand and knelt at her side, her father appearing moments later, pulling the kunai out for his wife.

Her mother did a few hand signs and her light yellow chakra swirled around her hands. She hovered her hands a few centimetres above Sakura's chest, trying to repair the damage.

Sakura moved her mouth, trying to get the words out. Her father leaned in closer. "What is it, dear?" He asked sadly.

She mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before her vision went black, Sakura falling into a state of unconsciousness.

Her mother concentrated her chakra even harder into the wound. Within a few minutes her mother had stopped the bleeding. "Let's finished this on our way back." Her mother said as her father summoned up a large bird that her family used to travel large distances on. Her mother laid Sakura on the bird's back, Hitoshi following suite. Her mother continued to heal Sakura as her father hopped on too, ordering the bird to fly back to Konoha. They flew the opposite direction of where Gaara and Yashamaru were fighting.

The cool wind stung Hitoshi, so he crawled into the warm embrace of his new found master. Sakura's mother wiped the sweat from her brow, pushing forward in the healing process. Within a half an hour, her mother had successfully healed Sakura.

She sighed with relief and cried softly. "Oh Sakura, you had me so worried." She scolded softly as she kissed Sakura lightly on the forehead, staying near the young girl.

-XXX-

After about an hour and a half of unconsciousness, Sakura awoke to the sight of the sky zooming by her. She tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by Hitoshi.

"Hitoshi?" Sakura questioned with a smile.

Her mother heard her voice and sighed with relief, wrapping her arms around the young girl. "Sakura, you had your father and I so worried." She said softly.

"Oka-san?" Sakura said. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's alright now that you're safe." She said. "But now that you're okay I can ask you, why do you have a fox?"

Sakura blinked and stroked Hitoshi's head. "I saw him in the pet store, he was so cute I couldn't resist."

Her mother looked wearily at her then smiled. "I suppose that's okay."

Sakura grinned at her mother. "So, you named him Hitoshi?" Her mother asked.

Sakura nodded and smiled, holding him up for her mother to pat.

Sakura's chest ached and she felt herself get dizzy. She collapsed onto the bird, going into another state of unconsciousness.

"It must be the blood loss." Her mother said with a slight frown.

They flew off into the night, Konoha getting closer and closer.

**-ѢѢѢ-**

Sakura stirred in her sleep the next morning. She opened her eyes to see her beloved friends surrounding her with relief in their eyes. She saw that she was hooked up to an IV filled with blood and she was in a Konoha hospital.

"You guys..." Sakura said softly as she looked into the eyes of her closest friends; Neji, Hinata, Kiba and Ino.

Ino wrapped her arms around her pink haired friend, quietly crying into her shoulder. Hinata too had tears in her eyes, whereas Neji and Kiba just smiled at her.

"We missed you so much, Forehead." Ino said with a smile as she pulled away from Sakura.

"I missed you all too." Sakura said with a soft smile. "But...what am I doing here?"

"Your parents said that they found you injured in Suna." Kiba said.

"Your mother said that she could barely save you." Neji added.

Sakura nodded, suddenly getting sad. "I remember..." She said softly.

"What happened?" Hinata asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

She smiled up at them. "It's nothing to worry about." She reassured.

Her friends soon engulfed her in a group hug. She smiled softly to herself as she fought back tears. _'Panda-chan...'_

Suddenly Sakura's parents and Tsunade burst through the doors, Shizune trailing behind. They ran up to the side of her bed with relief in their eyes.

"You're awake." Her father said with a relieved smile.

Her mother just clasped her hands over her mouth and cried happy tears.

Tsunade and Shizune stood over her with proud eyes. "You pulled through alright I see, Pinky." Tsunade teased with a grin.

"Sakura-chan, I was so worried when I heard about you." Shizune added, a single tear escaping her eye.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She reassured. "But, why are we back in Konoha?" Sakura questioned, hearing what her parents had to say, trying them to say because of Gaara.

Her parents exchanged annoyed glances, knowing that Sakura was pissed about the real reason. "Because we had completed our mission." Her father said, hiding the uncertainty.

Sakura looked away confidently. "Oh, I see."

"i missed you guys so much, even though I wasn't gone that long." Sakura said to her friends, giving them a genuine smile. Hitoshi jumped from the window sill and into Sakura's lap, nuzzling his nose into her stomach.

They returned the smile. "We missed you too."

**-ѢѢѢ-**

There we go! I feel sorry for Sakura and Gaara. I have decided that the time skip will be next chapter. Also I apologize for this one being short o_x. Anyway, look out for the next chapter!

R&R~


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Time for a time skip~~ It's time for the Chuunin exams and the Sand siblings are here! Also the teams will be switched up, so no team 7 with Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke because Naruto isn't here. However Kakashi will still be their sensei X3. Oh yes and I'll be nicer to Sasuke in this story, meaning I won't kill him for a couple chapters. XD. Anyway, let's see what happens. Roll the clip~

**Disclaimer-** Akane-sama does not own Naruto. Though she does own Maebara Keiichi, fortunately. X3

**-ЖЖЖ-**

It was a wonderful, sunny, warm day in the village of Konohagakure. A now thirteen year old Sakura walked casually through the streets of her beloved village. She was not the young girl she was back in Suna, she was now a teenager. She was much taller; her body was mature for her age. Her pink hair was a lot longer, reaching her ankles. Her bangs now swooped over her right eye, completely covering it and came to a jagged point just above her jaw line. She now had a more fashionable ninja outfit. It was a black corset dress that reached her mid thigh, the dress being slightly pleated. She had black leather fingerless gloves on that reached her wrists, and a small black ribbon tied around her right wrist. From her waist hung a black leather-bound book chained around her waist with silver chains. She had on black high-heeled ankle boots which made no sound on the hard ground beneath her. Sakura stretched and yawned, revealing a pair of small white fangs in her mouth. She smiled to herself as she greeted some people she walked by. A group of fanboys greeted from the side lines, shouting a 'We love you Sakura-sama!' She turned her head over her shoulder and gave them a prize winning smile, causing the fanboys to melt into a puddle of goo. Suddenly Hitoshi appeared, jumping into the arms of his beloved master. She stroked the dear fox and nuzzled her nose into his fur. Hitoshi had grown a little bit since that fateful time in Suna. From a small baby he had grown to the size of small housecat. He sat comfortably on her should, falling into a sound sleep. She slowly but surely approached the elite Hyuuga compound.

"Hey Ji-pyon, Hinata." Sakura greeted with a grin, approaching the Hyuuga cousins.

Neji sweat dropped and Hinata waved sweetly. "Good morning, Sakura."

"Would you stop calling me that?" Neji asked deadpanned.

Sakura waved dismissively. "Sorry, sorry." She laughed.

"So, are you guys pumped? Chuu-nin-exams-t~oday!" She cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

Hinata nodded furiously, a grin on her face. "With your help training me, I'm sure I'll pass." Hinata said with confidence.

Sakura smiled. "I know you can do it, Hinata!"

"No words of encouragement for me?" Neji said in a pout.

Sakura sweat dropped. "I know you'll pwn, Neji."

He grinned a sparkly grin. "Thank you~" He chirped. (A/N: Did I mention their will be mass OOC-ness? XD)

Sakura and Hinata giggled. "We'll be having to start soon, so I have to go meet up with my team mates." Hinata said with a wave.

Neji and Sakura waved back as she ran off to go meet with her team. Hinata made up team eight along with Sasuke, Chouji and their sensei, Kurenai.

Sakura turned to Neji. "Well Neji my dear, shall we go find our team mate?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "I doubt we'll be able to find him."

"No need to worry." Sakura reassured. She nudged Hitoshi on her shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Do you know where he is?" She questioned, earning a telepathic answer from the gifted fox.

"Follow me." Sakura said with a smile as she jumped up onto the rooftops, Neji following suite.

Sakura and Neji ran along the rooftops, heading in the direction of the training grounds.

Neji smirked. "Oh, I see."

Sakura grinned back at him as they neared the training grounds reserved for solo training. Sakura hopped silently through the branches, Neji close behind. Sakura held her hand to the side, ceasing her and Neji's movements. Sakura grinned and pointed down to the ground. Sakura dropped down in front of their team mate, Neji standing next to her.

"Ossu, Kiba." Sakura said with a smile.

Kiba grinned up at his team mates. "How'd you guys find me?"

Sakura cuddled Hitoshi in her arms. "He helped."

Kiba laughed lightly as Hitoshi jumped out of Sakura's arms and proceeded to play around with Akamaru.

"Were you here trying to think up different ways on how to cheat?" Neji questioned with a smirk.

Kiba sweat dropped and rubbed the back of his head. "W-Why would you think such a thing?" He said, laughing nervously.

Sakura shook her head and smiled. "Oh silly Kiba, there is no need to cheat. You're smart."

Kiba grinned. "You think so?"

Sakura held up a thumbs up. "I know so."

He stood up and stretched. "How about we hang till its time for the exams?"

Sakura nodded. "Sounds fun!" She cheered wrapping her arms around her team mates' shoulders. "Come on boys, how about we go people watch? See who could be potential problems during the exams."

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"Oh yes, I know. Aren't I smart?"

Neji rolled his eyes and Kiba sweat dropped. Sakura turned to the two animals rolling about on the ground together. "C'mon you two." She called as Hitoshi took his spot on Sakura's shoulder and Akamaru climbed into Kiba's coat.

The three soon-to-be Chuunin jumped onto the treetops above and hopped effortlessly back into the village. They ran across the rooftops, heading towards the village gates to people watch.

**-ЖЖЖ-**

A couple hours away from Konoha walked three familiar siblings. It was none other than the sand siblings of Suna. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were all grown up, not the little kids that they once were. Temai was the tallest and wore a light purple thigh length dress that exposed her shoulders, a red sash adorning her waist. She wore a fishnet undershirt, and a fishnet leg warmer pulled onto her right thigh and another pulled onto her left calf. She wore black ninja sandals and her hair was pulled into four spikey pigtails, two on the top and two on the bottom. She also had a large black fan settled neatly on her back. Kankuro was middle height and wore a black jumpsuit with a hood pulled over his head. His hood had what liked cat ears and made him look oh-so adorable. On his pale face he had a design of purple face paint. He also wore black ninja sandals and had what looked liked a mummy with hair strapped to his back. Lasty was Gaara. He was the shortest out of all of them, due to his age. He still had his blood red hair the same as it was when he was little, but it was now fuller and messier. He had on a tight black t-shirt with a fishnet going down a few inches from his sleeves. He also wore baggy black pants and black ninja sandals. He had a brown strap going across his chest and attached to that was a large gourd which was settled onto his back. From the strap he had a long white sash hanging from it. Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes in concentration.

'_This is such a pain.'_ He growled to himself._ 'Travelling with Temari and Kankuro for so long is torture.'_

'_**Wasn't you girlfriend from here?' **_Shukaku teased dangerously.

Gaara let out a low growl, daring Shukaku to test him.

Shukaku chuckled darkly. _**'Very well then.'**_

**-ЖЖЖ-**

Sakura, Kiba and Neji sat in a tree quite a ways away from the village gates, though it was still visible from their position. Sakura sat very-lady like, stroking Hitoshi gently.

"Oh, Kusa nin at 6'o clock!" Sakura called out, pointing down the street.

Neji activated his byakugan and observed the trio. "The girl in the middle has a lot of power, but I wouldn't worry too much about the other two."

Sakura nodded and continued to look for any troubling foreign shinobi. Sakura fiddled with her hitai-ate around her neck, deep in thought.

'_I wonder what kind of questions will be on the exam?'_ Sakura pondered.

'_**Don't worry kiddo, you'll do fine.'**_ Inner said reassuringly.

Sakura nodded. _'But, when I get nervous I tend to forget sometimes.'_

'_**Just focus and try not be nervous, if you mess up you can just try next time.'**_

'_But I don't want to let down Neji and Kiba.'_

'_**You won't let them down because you aren't going to fail.'**_

Sakura smiled to herself. _'You're right.'_

"Are you talking to yourself again?" Neji asked with an eyebrow raised.

Sakura laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. Neji smiled a small smile and Kiba laughed lightly. All of a sudden Hitoshi jumped out of Sakura's lap and ran down a side street of the village, Akamaru chasing after him.

"Hey, Hitoshi!" Sakura called out.

"Damn it Akamaru." Kiba mumbled under his breath.

Sakura, Kiba and Neji jumped down from the tree and ran after the two pets. Sakura took the lead, Neji right behind her and Kiba trailing behind.

Gaara, Temari and Kankuro walked through a street looking for where they were to be staying during the duration of the Chuunin exams. Suddenly the three spotted a silver fox and a white dog with brown ears run down the street in front of them. They heard rapid running following the animals. Their eyes widened when they saw a girl with long pink hair, just like Sakura, running after them followed by two boys.

"C-Could that have been...?" Temari questioned aloud, mouth agape.

Gaara's eyes returned to their normal size after his heart stopped racing, his mood getting fouler. "That's impossible, she's dead." He said quietly, and with no emotion. "We're to stay here." He continued, pointing to the building ahead of them.

Kankuro and Temari exchanged weary glances. "Okay, we'd better hurry and unpack; the exams will be starting soon." Temari said as she and her siblings walked up to the small building.

"Hitoshi!" Sakura called.

"Guys, wait up!" Kiba called desperately from behind.

Suddenly Hitoshi and Akamaru ran into Ino's flower shop. Sakura gave a questioning look but pressed on and ran up to the shop, skidding to a halt in the front doors. Hitoshi and Akamaru sat angrily in the doorway. Sakura looked up to see Ino being cornered by two foreign shinobi.

"Why don't you come and have some fun with us?" One of them cooed.

Ino got a disgusted look on her face. "Get away from me."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she stormed into the shop. "Leave Ino alone!" She growled dangerously as Kiba and Neji arrived.

"Sakura!" Ino called, relieved.

The two shinobi turned and grinned sickly. "Another one to play with?"

Sakura tch'd and ran at them with a chakra laced fist. The two dodged but in a flash of blue she held one still and punched him in the stomach. He dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. She grabbed him by the collar and tossed him effortlessly out the door. She turned with a glare to the other one. He attempted to run but Sakura pulled him back, kicking him in the back with a chakra laced foot. He sailed out the door and landed in a heap across the street. Sakura turned and walked up to Ino.

"Are you okay, Ino?" She asked worriedly, offering her a hand.

Ino nodded and took Sakura's hand, allowing Sakura to pull her up off the ground. "Thanks, Sakura." Ino mumbled, embarrassed.

Sakura smiled and patted her head. "No need to feel embarrassed, Piggy McPigPig." Sakura whispered.

Ino smirked and laughed lightly. "I'll keep that in mind, Forehead."

Kiba and Neji walked up and stood next to Sakura. "Man, you kicked their asses." Kiba said with a grin.

"That's our Sakura." Neji added with a thumbs up.

Sakura blushed and smiled. "It was nothing."

Sakura forced her blush down and turned to Ino. "Where are Shikamaru and Shino-kun?"

Ino sighed. "They are both busy, they said they'd meet me at the exams."

Sakura nodded. "It's about time now, do you want to walk with us?"

Ino smiled to herself. "Of course I do." She said, pulling off her apron and laying it on the counter. She walked up to the stairs just behind the counter and called up to her mother.

"Oka-san, I'm leaving now."

"Good luck!" She called from higher up.

Ino nodded and joined her trio of friends, taking a spot between Sakura and Kiba. They walked together towards the academy, all having mixed emotions.

"Man, I'm so nervous." Ino groaned.

Sakura giggled lightly. "If you get nervous, you'll forget everything."

Ino sweat dropped. "Thanks Forehead, you just made me even more nervous."

Sakura giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry."

The academy was in sight and Ino started shaking dramatically. She grabbed onto Sakura's arm and rubbed her cheek against it.

"Mou! I don't want to do this!"

Sakura patted her comfortingly on the head. "But think of this, you'll be getting it out of the way and you won't be a Genin anymore."

"Sakura's right." Neji added. "It's better just to get it out of the way now."

"Easy for you to say, you're the Hyuuga prodigy."

"What's that supposed that supposed to mean?"

"You're going to pass no matter what."

"Even though that maybe true," Neji said with a proud smirk "it's true for you too."

"I agree with the both of them." Kiba said. "We're in the same boat, Ino."

Ino smiled and stood confidently. "I suppose you're right, Kiba."

Sakura and Neji sweat dropped. "It took him to get your confidence?" Sakura asked deadpanned.

"Well, you and Neji are a lot stronger then Kiba and I," Ino stated "so it just made my confidence drop."

Sakura sighed. "I get your point, Ham hock."

Ino choked and glared at Sakura. "What'd you just call me?"

Sakura looked away and crossed her arms over her chest. "You heard me." She said with a smirk.

"Oh, you're going to get it now Forehead!"

Sakura giggled and ran away, Ino close on her heels.

"Nani!" Sakura called "Can't catch me can you, Ham hock?"

Ino's glare deepened as she picked up her speed. "I'm going to kill you, Forehead!"

Sakura laughed. "C'mon, come get me!" Sakura teased and returned her gaze to the front. Her eyes widened as she ran in the opposite direction and hid behind Neji and Kiba.

Ino stood in the middle of the street dumbly until she noticed Sakura was gone.

"What's the matter?" Kiba asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Fanboys!" Sakura said as she peeked over her boys' shoulders, keeping a close eye on the oncoming crowd of boys.

Ino ran back and stood next to Kiba and Neji, standing protectively in front of Sakura. The fanboys came to a halt in front of them.

"Let us see Sakura-sama." One of them demanded.

"Leave Sakura alone." Ino said with a glare. "She doesn't want any of you."

"I don't see her with any guy." Another boy said with a confident grin.

Neji grabbed Sakura's hand and held it at his side. "She's with me." He said with a glare.

"Now get the hell out of here." Kiba growled, as did Akamaru and Hitoshi.

The group of boys deflated and the head fan reluctantly admitted defeat. "Very well then." He said. "But we will not give up on our quest for Sakura-sama's love!" He continued as the rest cheered and ran off to do whatever it is fanboys do.

Sakura sighed with relief. "Thanks guys." Sakura said as Neji let go of her hand, giving her a small smile. "And Ham hock." She continued slyly.

Ino punched Sakura lightly in the head. Sakura rubbed her sore head as the three laughed at her pain.

"Let's go." Ino said as they continued the short distance to the doors of the academy. They walked through the familiar halls and doorways and approached the examination room doors. They stood in front of it for a moment, preparing themselves. Sakura reached out and pushed open the doors, revealing the room almost overflowing with shinobi. Ino gulped as they entered the room together.

"Wow...there's a lot of people here." Ino said wearily.

Sakura scanned the room and nodded. "There is..."

"But there's no need to worry." Kiba said reassuringly.

Sakura smiled. "You're right, we know our stuff."

"Hey guys!" Hinata said as she approached the group. "Hey Ji-pyon." She added slyly.

Neji grabbed Sakura and put her in a headlock. "You taught her to call me that didn't you!"

"Myuu~" Sakura whined.

Neji let her go as she rubbed her neck, glaring at Neji. Hitoshi licked her cheek comfortingly.

"Don't worry, I think it's cute." Hinata said as she pet Hitoshi gently.

"It's stupid."

"Aw, I think it's cute too, Ji-pyon." Kiba said slyly.

Neji sent a death glare to Kiba.

"Don't abuse Kiba." Sakura snapped. "We're supposed to be lovey-dovey."

"Ah, there's Shino!" Ino said.

"Hey Shino, over here!" Ino called, he arriving a few moments later.

"Have you seen Shikamaru?"

"I saw him when I came over here. He said that he would be here soon."

Ino nodded in response .

"How are you feeling about the exams, Shino-kun?" Sakura asked with a smile.

Shino fiddled with his shades. "I assume it will be quite easy." He said the slightest bit slyly.

Sakura sweat dropped. "You're planning on cheating too, aren't you?" She stated, more than asked.

Shino just cleared his throat in response, saying nothing more on the matter. The group chatted amongst themselves for a few minutes before they saw Shikamaru arrive.

"Shikamaru, over here!" Ino called.

Shikamaru walked over with Chouji. "Hey guys." Chouji greeted with a grin, standing at Hinata's side.

"How are you feeling about the exam, Chouji-kun?" Hinata asked with a smile.

"Not bad, though I'm pretty nervous."

Hinata patted him on the back. "I know you can do it." She reassured.

Chouji grinned and offered Hinata a chip. She took some gracefully as they talked amongst themselves.

The doors burst open, somehow silencing the loud room. In walked Sasuke in his brooding emo-ness. He glanced their way and gave a hard glare at Sakura before continuing his way down the steps, taking a seat in one of the many desks.

Sakura stuck out her tongue at his turned back. "What a bastard." Sakura muttered under her breath.

Ino giggled quietly, patting her on the head. "Don't worry, he hates everyone. Just you more than anyone."

"Thanks." Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly at the front of the room a door burst open, effectively silencing the tenants inside. In stepped a tall, battered Konoha sensei.

"I'm Morino Ibiki, and I will be your exam instructor today." He announced in a deep, booming voice. "To prevent you from cheating you will be assigned a seat. Please come up here and pick a number." He continued, holding up a black box. The group exchanged glances and entered the line together.

"I hope by chance we get to sit near each other." Hinata said.

Sakura and Ino nodded as the line slowly, but surely moved forward. Hitoshi started to become restless and started to paw Sakura's neck lightly. Sakura took him from her shoulder and held him in her arms. "I know Hitoshi, but please bear with me, ne?" She asked quietly. Hitoshi settled down as Sakura held him comfortably in her arms.

Within a few minutes Sakura had reached the front of the line. She stuck her hand in the box and moved out of the line. She unfolded the piece of paper and read the number, row 6 seat 9. She lifted her head and searched the desks. She thankfully found her seat in no time, sitting comfortably in it. Her mood suddenly shifted when Sasuke took the seat in front of her. '_Now's my chance to try to make peace with him.' _Sakura said to herself.

"Good luck Sasuke." Sakura said sweetly.

He glanced her way and glared at her before returning his gaze back to the people in front of him. Sakura sweat dropped.

"Fine, screw you. See if I ever try to be nice to you ever again." Sakura called, annoyed.

Sakura looked around to see if there was anyone she knew around. She spotted Kiba sit a few seats over in the row behind her.

"Kiba~" Sakura called softly.

He turned her way and grinned at her, Akamaru giving her a small bark. "Long time no see."

Sakura giggled. "Good luck, Kiba."

"You too." He replied with a smile.

Sakura returned her attention to the front, taking in her surroundings. She spotted six shinobi on each wall with clip boards. _'They must be the ones who catch cheaters.' _Sakura told herself. Suddenly Ibiki started talking.

"Now that everyone's seated, we can begin."

"The examiners at the side of the room are to catch you if you are cheating." He stated, pointing to the examiners Sakura noted before. "If you are caught cheating, not only will you fail but your whole team too." He finished, earning a few gasps from the soon-to-be Chuunin.

'_Oh damn.'_ Sakura groaned to herself. Sakura set Hitoshi in her lap as Ibiki continued.

"With that said, you have one hour to complete the ten questions provided to you."

"Begin!"

Sakura grabbed the paper that was in front of her and read it over. _'This doesn't seem too difficult, but the questions do get harder the more you progress. But there doesn't seem to be a tenth question.' _Sakura said to herself. Nonetheless Sakura read over the first question again. It was just a basic survival question which she answered with ease. She moved onto the next question and read it over. It was a question on the Shinobi code; she answered it with ease and proceeded to answer the other questions. Within a half an hour Sakura had successfully completed the nine questions on the paper. She flipped the paper over and laid her pencil and eraser on top of it. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes with a confident smirk on her face. Sakura cracked an eye open and scanned the room, trying to find her friends. She saw Ino on the other side of the room using her mind transfer jutsu on a Kumo nin. She saw Neji below her using his byakugan to see the paper of a Iwa nin.

'_I better not stare too much or else they'll think I'm cheating.'_ Sakura told herself, returning her gaze to the paper on her desk. She waited patiently for the hour to finish.

Finally the hour had passed and Ibiki stood in front of the small desk at the front of the room. "Alright everyone, pencils down!" He called. The Genin did so and paid attention to Ibiki.

"Now for the final and tenth question." He said. "If you don't get this question not only do you fail this exam but you will never be able to take part in the Chuunin exams ever again!" He continued, grinning at the shocked faces of everyone in the room.

"Those who wish to leave, do so now." He said, waiting for the many people that did leave.

'_He's gotta be kidding me.'_ Sakura said to herself. Sakura looked into the eyes of Kiba and Neji, both giving the same answer. _'We're going to answer the last question.'_

Ibiki waited for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Congratulations, you have all passed the first part of the Chuunin exams."

Sakura blinked. _'What?'_

"What about the tenth question?" One Genin asked.

Ibiki smirked. "That was the tenth question."

"Seriously?" Kiba asked, slightly in doubt.

"The life of a shinobi is knowing when to make a hard decision. You had to choose to either be brave or a coward."

Sakura sweat dropped. _'That's messed up.'_

Most people sighed with relief as Ibiki laughed. Suddenly something broke through the window of the academy. It was a woman with a sign and a just legal outfit on.

"Listen up kiddies, I'm Mitarashi Anko and I'm your instructor for the next part of the Chuunin exams!" She announced with a malicious grin.

"Anko...that's not until tomorrow." Ibiki told her quietly.

Anko blinked repeatedly. "Really?"

Anko laughed nervously. "My bad, sorry for freaking you out."

Sakura sweat dropped_. 'A little late for that.'_

"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." Anko said, jumping back out the window.

Ibiki sighed. "With that, you are all dismissed."

Sakura stood up and placed Hitoshi and her shoulder. She approached the already waiting Kiba and tackled him with a hug. "We did it!" She cheered happily.

Kiba grinned and put his arm around Sakura's waist. "Yeah, we did." He laughed as Neji, Hinata and Ino joined them. Unbeknownst to them they were being watched closely by a pair of aquamarine eyes.

Sakura put her free arm around Neji and pulled him into her embrace. "We did it, boys." Sakura sighed happily, unknowingly suffocating them in her breasts.

Ino face palmed and Hinata blushed.

"I think you're killing them..." Hinata said wearily.

Sakura blinked and looked at the blushing boys in her chest. She too blushed. "You perverts!"

"Hey, you started it." Neji said defensively.

"I didn't mind it." Kiba said with a perverted grin.

Ino, Hinata and Neji sweat dropped while Sakura's blush increased. She forced it back. "To Ichiraku's, my treat!" Sakura announced.

"Sweet." Kiba grinned, joining Sakura in her quest for ramen. Hinata, Ino and Neji joined in too and followed her down the steps to the door.

Gaara watched the rambunctious group leave.

'_That can't possibly be her.'_ He said to himself.

**-ЖЖЖ-**

Sakura skipped out of the academy doors singing a song to herself. "Everybody, put up your hands and say I don't wanna be in love, I don't wanna be in love~"

"Feel the beat now, if you got nothing left~" Ino continued.

"Say I don't wanna be in love, I don't wanna be in love~" Hinata finished.

The three girls held onto each other and giggled. The boys desperately tried to wipe away the massive nosebleeds they were experiencing.

"How about this one?" Sakura said. "Everybody's hurt somebody before, everybody's been hurt by somebody before~"

"You can change but you'll always come back for more~" Ino continued.

"It's a game and we're all just victims of love~" Hinata finished with a giggle.

"What with the stupid Good Charlotte songs?" Neji questioned deadpanned.

"Don't diss Good Charlotte, mofo."

"Straight up, yo."

"Don't be hatin', dawg."

Kiba gasped dramatically. "Oh no, hell nah, you aren't gangsta."

Sakura was quiet for a few minutes when...

"Take a look at my life, all black~"

"Take a look at my clothes, all black~"

"Like Johnny Cash, all black~ Like the Rolling Stones wanna paint it black~"

The girls laughed together again as they approached Ichiraku's. They skipped towards it arm in arm, the sweat dropping boys following closely behind.

They all took a seat together, Ichiraku himself taking their orders. They chatted happily amongst themselves while they waited for their ramen to arrive. It arrived a few minutes after their orders were placed. They ate in peace, conversing every so often. They finished within a half an hour but they sat there and talked for an hour or two. Sakura noted that it was getting dark.

"Slumber party at my house!" Sakura announced with a grin.

"Sick, hot girls in pyjamas!" Kiba cheered, high-fiving a smirking Neji.

"No, not you two. Only Hinata and Ino." Sakura said with a teasing smirk.

"Awww." Neji and Kiba whined in unison.

The three girls smirked and got up to leave. Sakura laid the money on the table for all of them before joining Ino and Hinata at the entrance. The trio of girls walked arm in arm towards Sakura's house. They arrived a few minutes later and Sakura removed her arms from the other two and pulled a key out of her pocket. She slid the key in the lock and the door swung open. She turned to her two friends and grinned.

"Come on." She said, ushering them in. Hinata and Ino gladly stepped in as Sakura closed the door behind them.

"Let's go to my room." Sakura suggested as the two followed Sakura into her room.

They entered it and Ino sweat dropped. "Still black and gloomy I see."

Sakura huffed. "I like it that way."

Hinata plopped onto Sakura's black sheeted king sized bed. "I like it."

Ino rolled her eyes and joined Hinata on the bed. Sakura giggled and hopped on too, making a circle.

"Gossip time!" Sakura cheered then turned to Ino. "So, have you made any moves on Shikamaru yet?"

Ino choked and looked away. "I try subtlety, but he's so thick headed."

"He is." Hinata agreed.

Sakura nodded and turned to Hinata. "My little Hinata, did I spy some flirtacious action with Chouji-kun today?"

Hinata blushed and pushed her index finger together. "H-He's cool..." She mumbled.

Sakura laughed and hugged Hinata.

"Well, I spotted some Neji action with you today." Ino said with a malicious grin.

"Huh?"

"When he held your hand today."

"That was just to make the fanboys leave me alone."

Ino's grin increased, with more malice. "He was blushing." She said slyly.

Sakura blushed and pushed her index fingers together. "H-He was?" She asked with a small smile.

Ino laughed. "You look like Hinata."

Hinata giggled and patted her on the head. It was true the Sakura had a small crush on the elite Hyuuga.

They continued to gossip for a few hours when they noticed it was getting late. "I suppose we should hit the hay, rest up for tomorrow."

Hinata and Ino nodded. Sakura climbed into bed as Hinata laid on her left side, head on her shoulder and her arm wrapped around Sakura's waist. Ino did the same thing, only on her right side. The girls giggled as they all fell into a deep sleep within a few minutes.

Outside of her window hanging on its sill were Neji and Kiba. They grinned perverted grins as they spied on the girls sleeping together.

"Ah, hot." Kiba whispered to himself.

Neji let a small laugh as he wiped away a nosebleed. Suddenly Hitoshi jumped from off the roof and onto the boys' heads and into Sakura's room.

"Shit, she's got a security system." Neji whispered.

Kiba grinned as they both dropped from the window and ran away laughing.

Hitoshi took his place at the foot of Sakura's bed, laying protectively for the girls. The girls slept peacefully, anxious about what tomorrow would bring.

**-ЖЖЖ- **

-stretches- Ah. That felt good. Next chapter is the next part of the Chuunin exams, the Forest of Death! Dun dun duhhh. Oh yes, and Sakura won't notice Gaara until after the Forest of Death. Anyway please R&R! Watch out for the next chapter~ -winks-


	5. Author's Note

I'm sorry for all of you who have been waiting patiently for the next chapter. But due to school starting up again my schedule is extra busy and I have no time to work on my stories. Put simply, all of my stories are being put on temporary hold. Again I'm really really sorry for those who have been waiting, they'll be added soon so please bear with me.

-Akane.


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